Hat-frame former.



` c. F. GLARK. HAT FRAME FORMER.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 23, 1908.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

. D. c. TH: Nonni: PETERS co.. wsHmawN G. I'. CLARK. HAT FRAME FORMER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 190B.

Patented Apr. 2o, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEETA 2.

THE Namlls INTI!! CQ. WAISHINGNN. D. C.

l GHARLES'F. CLARK, OF CHIOAGOILL1NOIS.

HAT-FRAME FORMER.

Y i Y 'Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2o, 190e.

Application filed May `23, 1908. Serial No. 434,558.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, CHARLns F. CLARK,

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Frame Formers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to formers for wire hat frames, and is shown applied to the hat frame former disclosed in `the patent to George VJ. Price, No. 823,696, dated June 19, 1906.

The object of the invention is to provide improved means for supporting a greater number of notched rods Vfor engaging the wires, permitting a wider range of adjustment, and producing a greater variety of shapes than with the machine shown in said patent.

The present invention has means for forming a high crown, especially 5 and for producing irregular shapes.

A further improvement over the original machine consists in a device for holding the operating handle.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing supporting arms and adjusting rods on one side. Fig. 2 is a half plan view. Fig. 8 is a detail in section showing the clamping bolt which holds the adjustable rods. Fig. 4 is an elevation and Fig. 5 is a section, in detail,` of a clamping device for supporting the upper rods on the lower rods. Fig. 6 is a detail of the device for holding the handle.

As shown in the patent referred to, the resent machine has a post'l with an upper *red collar 3 and alower sliding collar 2,

which latter may be moved up and down by the toggle lever 14 and connected arms,'a coiled spring 9 forcing the lower collar down when released. The lower collar is pivotally connected to bent arms 4 the outer ends of which are connected by upper arms or links 41L to the upper collar. W hen the lever is swung up the arms are' expanded, and when the lever is swung down the arms are contracted, in the manner disclosed in said patent.

For holding the lever handle in upper position 1 provide a catch bar 10 having near its outer end a notch 10@L and hinged at its' l lower end, as at 12, to a collar 11 at the base of the machine. When the lever is swung up it may be caught in the notch l()2L as shown in Fig. 6, and in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the lever will be held in upper position until the catch bar is swung down and released. My invention also comprises means for supporting a plurality of the upright rods 5 by means of a single clamp. These rods 5 are notched at the top, as shown at 5a, for the purpose of receiving the wires of the hat frame, and it is, of course, necessary that the rods be set in various positions to produce different kinds of frames. The clamp for a plurality of rods consists of a bolt 8 adapted to extend through a slot 23 in the lower arm 4, whereby it may be moved to any position along said arm, and said bolt receives a plu rality of blocks or disks 6 having the general form of rather thick washers which will lit over the bolt under the head thereof, beside or against each other. Each disk has a groove or recess 6a extending across one face thereof and of proper size and shape to receive and hold the rod 5. These grooves or recesses are clearly shown in Fig. 3. A spring washer 7, under the head of the bolt 8, gives a yielding pressure, and enables the rods t0 be turned or adjusted by special effort without necessarily loosening the bolt. The disks 6 will turn on the bolt 8, and when they are turned the angles of the rods 5 will be varied accordingly. Also, the grooves in the disks allow the rods to be adjusted up and down, whereby the position of the notches at the heads of the rods is varied. The `disks when in position on the bolt cooperate with each other to form a clamp which will hold all of the rods. But each disk is independently adjustable to vary the angle of the rod carried thereby, and each rod can be individually adjusted up or down as desired. For particularly high crowns, extension rods 15 may be supported upon any one of the rods 5 by means of similar bolts and clamping disks, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The rod 5 is held by one disk and the rods 15 are held by others, all clamped together by the saine bolt, and capable of the angular and vertical adjustment above described. As an additional feature l also provide a cap 17 on the top of the standard 1, and this sup orts an adjustable center rod 19 which may be fixed at adjustment by a set screw 20. lt is notched at the top to receive radial cross wires.

Obviously the machine may be used without the upper or extension arms 15, as they may be readily detached by loosening the clamping bolt and slipping the clamp oil' the lower rod. y

The machine so constructed will have a Wide range of adjustment, permitting a large variety of sha es to be made. v i

The genera manner` of operation is the saine as that described in the patent referred to and is sufficiently obvious lroin the above f description.

I claim: The combination with a supporting arm of a hat-frame former, of a bolt extending through said arm, a plurality of disks on the bolt, beside each other, each disk having a groove in one side to receive a rod, and a spring Washer on the bolt, said disks and the Washer being clamped together by the bolt, and the rods being held between the disks, in the grooves.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature, in presence oil two Witnesses.

' CHARLES F. CLARK. Vitnesses:

MARIE PERKINS, H. G. BA'roi-IELOR. 

